Determinants of electronic participation and electronic government maturity: Insights from cross-country data

Abstract

Utilizing the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) theory and the literature on citizen engagement, we formulated a multiple-mediation model examining (1) the TOE contextual factors affecting government’s willingness to implement electronic participation (e-participation) in form of e-information sharing, e-consultation, and e-decision-making in a country and its electronic government (e-government) maturity; and (2) the mediating role of government’s willingness to implement e-participation in a country on the relationships between its TOE contextual factors and e-government maturity. Specifically, we hypothesized that information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure (representing the Technology context), governance (representing the Organization context), and human capital (representing the Environment context) has both direct and indirect relationships with e-government maturity through the mediating roles of government’s willingness to implement e-participation. Based on archival data from 183 countries, results showed that while ICT infrastructure and human capital were positively associated with government’s willingness to implement e-participation and e-government maturity, governance was not significantly associated with them. Also, government’s willingness to implement e-participation had significant associations with its e-government maturity. Specifically, of three dimensions of e-participation, government’s willingness to implement e-information sharing and e-decision-making were positively associated with e-government maturity, and its willingness to implement e-consultation was negatively associated. Further, government’s willingness to implement e-information sharing, e-consultation, and e-decision-making partially mediated the influences of ICT infrastructure and human capital on e-government maturity. Results also indicated that the relationship of governance with e-government maturity was not mediated by government’s willingness to implement e-participation. Findings contribute to the theoretical discourse on e-government by highlighting the roles of the TOE contextual factors on government’s willingness to implement e-participation and e-government maturity, and provide indications for practice in managing e-government maturity by (1) enhancing government’s willingness to implement appropriate e-participation dimensions; and (2) leveraging the effects of the TOE contextual factors on government’s willingness to implement e-participation and e-government maturity.